1. Appointment of Treasurer Form: Upon deciding to become a candidate, a political treasurer must be appointed. No funds may be received or expended until a treasurer has been appointed. A candidate may appoint himself or herself to this position. A new form must be filed if the treasurer is changed. This form is available at and must be filed with the Jefferson County Election Office. You may also download the form here, but it must still be filed with the Election Office.

2. Candidate Nominating Petition: Pursuant to T.C.A. § 2-5-102 a candidate may obtain a nominating petition from the county election commission office. Each page of the petition must be signed by the candidate and an Election Official and may not be photocopied. The nominating petition must be signed by at least twenty-five (25) qualified voters who are registered in the candidate’s district. It is recommended that a candidate obtain more than twenty-five (25) signatures (at least thirty-five to forty (35-40) signatures) in order to prevent a candidate from having a shortage in the number of qualified signatures. Each voter who signs the petitions must also supply his or her residence address as it appears on his or her voter registration record. No ditto marks or post office box addresses can be accepted. Each voter must sign his or her own name. There is a space available and should be used to print the voter’s name.

3. Petition Issuing and Filing Deadline Dates: Pursuant to T.C.A. § 2-5-102(5) Qualifying petitions for all offices except President and delegate candidates cannot be picked up prior to sixty (60) days before the qualifying deadline for the office being sought.  President and delegate candidates can pick up ninety (90) days before the qualifying deadline. The Qualifying Deadline dates are specific to each individual election.
 2024 Election and Qualifying Petition Deadlines

4. Where to File Petitions: Candidates must file petitions in the county in which he or she resides. If the elected office the candidate is seeking represents more than one county, it is the candidate’s responsibility to provide certified duplicates of the petition to each county by 12:00 noon on the qualifying deadline. The copies can either be hand-delivered or mailed certified mail. There are no filing fees.

5. Statement of Interest: All Candidates are required to file this form no later than thirty (30) days following the qualifying deadline. No dollar amounts need to be listed. If a candidate is running for the same office he or she holds and filed an annual statement of interest in JANUARY of the same year as the election, then the candidate is not required to file another statement. Access online form or download form here.

6. Campaign Contribution and Disclosure Filings: Pursuant to T.C.A. § 2-10-101 Financial disclosure forms do not apply to those positions that are part-time and for which the compensation is less than $1,000.00 per month and as long as the candidate does not spend more than $1,000.00 on his or her campaign.

Where to file: The County Election Office

Download Campaign Financial Disclosure Form

For information regarding candidate filing dates, you may visit the Registry of Election Finance for Tennessee.